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C. H. AND J. E. MATTHEWS.

MEANS FOR SPLICING AND SIRETGHING FENCE WIRES. APPLICATION FILED AUG.22, ms.

1 07,409. I Patented June 24, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET li j'aaz. 2a

C H. AND J. E. MATTHEWS.

MEANS ma SPLICING AND smncume FENCE WIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.22,1918.

Patented J un 24, 1919..

2 SHEETS --SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. MATTHEWS AND JAY E. MATTHEWS, 0F DRESDEN, KANSAS.

MEANS FOR SPLICING AND STRETCI-IING FENCE-WIRES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 22, 1918. Serial No. 250,998.

To all whom it may/ concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES H. MAT- THEWS and JAY E. MATTHEWS, citizens of the United States, residing at Dresden, in the county of Decatur and State of Kansas, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Means for Splicing and Stretching F once-Wires, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to facilitate the splicing of broken fence wires and the joining of either barbed or plain wires. The inventlon also seeks to attain the desired end by the employment of a tool which will be inexpensive to construct and easily operated to efiiciently perform all the steps in thesplicing of the wire.

The stated objects and such other incidental objects as will hereinafter appear are attained in such a tool as is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and in the depicted manipulation of the same, all of which will be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tool constructed in accordance with and adapted to carry out our invention;

Fig.2 is an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a plan View thereof; and

Figs. 4 to 10 are detail views of a somewhat diagrammatic nature, showing the different steps in the manipulation of the tool to splice a broken wire.

The tool or implement shown in the draw ings and embodying our invention comprises a flat plate or main body 1 which is preferably of metal in order to possess the required strength without being bulky or heavy and which is provided in one side with a central longitudinal groove 2, as shown, the said groove being conveniently produced by forming a bead extending lengthwise of the plate. To one end of this plate, we secure a spike or foot 3 wh1ch 1s adapted'to enter the ground and support the implement in the position where it is to be used. Thisspike or foot is provided with a lateral arm or tailpiece l which extends approximately parallel with and in the same direction as the lower end of the late 1 in spaced relation thereto, said tailpiece being dished or curved, as shown at 5, whereby it will projectrearwardly from the plane of the main plate or body 1, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3.; ;At its upper end, the mam Patented June 24, 1919. I

plate or body is provided with forwardly projecting ears or bearings 6 in which a drum 7 is journaled and at one side is provlded with a lateral arm or bracket 8 having its extremity bent forward to form a rest 9 upon which the length of wire is supported in the operation of the tool as will presently more fully appear. Pivoted near the inner extremity of the rest 9 is a locking arm or lever 10 which is adapted to extend over the rest and project beyond the front end of the same, being equipped with a re taining loop 11 which is adapted to engage Over the tapered extremity 12 of the rest, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, and thereby hold the lever in engagement with the rest. The drum 7 is equipped atthe end remote from the rest 9 with a crank or other form of handle 12 by which it may be rotated and nearsaid end is formed with an opening or ratchet, indicated at 13, which may be engaged by a pawl or holding dog 14: pivoted upon the adjacent bearing 6 so that retrograde movement of the drum will be prevented. The drum is hollow as will be read- 'ily understood and the pawl has its end sharply curved inwardly so that when the drum is rotated in one direction, the walls of the opening 13 will readily ride under the dog,but upon attempted movement of the drum in the opposite direction the wall ofthe opening willengage the inner or concave surface of the hook end of the pawl or dog and the drum will be, consequently, held against rotation. .The drum is provided between the bearings '6. with a longitudinal slot 15, the function of which will presently appear, and at the end nearer the rest 9 and between the said rest and the adjacent bearing 6 the drum is constructed with a longitudinal slot 16 having its inner end communicating with a peripheral slot or opening 17 which forms the outlet terminal of an .elliptical opening 18. I The material of the use ofthetool whieh has been described, the anchoring foot 3 is driven into the ground, as shownclearly in Fig. 1,.adjacentoneend of the broken wire. The said end of the wire is then doubledupon itselfby hand so as to partly form a loop which, for convenience, will bedescribedas'the loop A and is so designated in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings. The wire which has been doubled on itself to form the loop A is extended acrossthe upper edge ofthe rest 9 and the loop engaged over the hook'20 after which the locking lever =1O is brought-down-upon the wire so as'to'holdboth branches of the same upon the rest 9, as clearly shown in Fig. 4:. The drum is then'rotated one or more times, preferably twice, so that the wire will be", twisted about itself and the loop completed,this step bein illustratedin Fig. 5 ofthedrawings. The l oop thus completed is released from the hook '20 and the tool is then swung around 'upon its vertical longitudinal axis or "removed from the ground and 'reanc'hored adjacent the opposite end of the broken wire. A 'loop 13 is formed inithis second end of the broken wire in the'saine manner as the loop A'was formed, the loop B bein'g illustrated'in Fig. 6. The loop B isthenreleased'from the tool and the operator inserts a new length of .wire'ithrough the drum 7 and doubles one end of this wire upon itself after hating inserte'd it through the loop B, as shown 'in Fig. 7 the end of ltheshorterFbranch ofthis wire being bent at'a right :angle to itself,

as shown at 24, to eXtendtlirough the opening'lS of the drum. The drum is then rotated so astoitwist thebranches of the loop 0 upon itself and thereby complet-e'the loop as well as uniteiitwith theloopB. At this pointit may be well to state that the'length of wire from which the loop C is formed .maybe bent upon itself and engaged in the loop '13 before being inserted through the drumand the particular sequence of these two stepslis immaterial. After the loop C haslbeen completed, itheloop A is engaged over the'horn 21 and'the tool, being withdrawnfrom the ground, 1s turnedt-o a horizontalposition so .tliatthe lengthflof wire upon which the loop A is formed will extend through ,the'groove 2 of the tool and pass over the tailpiece L4. The free or uibent portion of the wire upon which the 'loopC is formed is then inserted through theiloopA andfinto the slot 15 of the drum,

as clearly shown in Fig. 8, after .which the drum .is rotated so as to stretch the wire. Afterthe wire 'has 'been, drawn taut, the tool is moved laterally to releasethe wire of the loop A from the tailpiece 4 and 'is then reversed, as shown in'Fig. 9, so that thelloop A wilL'slip ofi" the'tip ofthe'horn.

The toolis then bodily passedaround the loopsB' and'C as an axis so'that'tl-ie third portion of wire between the drum and the withdrawn from the drum and Wrapped manually about the stretched wire.

It is thought to be evident from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, that we have devised -a very simple and efiicient method of splicing fence wires and have produced a tool by the use of which a broken fence wire may be very rapidly spliced and the spliced as well as the original lengths of wire stretched taut.

Having thus. described our inventionywhat is :claimed as new is 1. A tool 'for'the purpose set forth,:com-- prisingmeans'for holdingthebranches of a loop, and a drum constructed at onerendto engage between the branches of the lo0p whereby rotation of thedrum about'zits own longitudinal axis wvill close the open end of the loop.

'2. A :tool for the purpose set forth comprising a main body, a drum rotatably mounted :upon the body and constructed at one end with a hook to engage aJbent wire, and means carriedby the'zbody and disposed in spaced relation to the sideof the-same and the end'rof the drum to hold the saidwire during rotation=of the drum.

'8. A tool'forthe purpose set iforth comprising a main plate, a bracket'projecting laterally from the said plate'and having a.

rest cxtending forwardly from its outer. end,

means for clamping :a -wire loop on said rest, and a drum rotatably mounted upon the main plate-"and constructed at: one eiid'zto engage the'loop whereby rotation of the drum about its own longitudinal 1 axis will twist and close the loop.

4. A tool for the purposeset-fforth comprising a main plate, means-on said plate fol-holding the branchesof a loop and a drum rotatably mounted 'thereon,'said drum beingconstructed at one end with ,a hook adapted to engage within the loop, whereby rotation ofthe drum about 'its own longitudinalaxis "will-twist'and close' the loop.

7 5. .AtoOlfor the purpose set forthcomprising'a main plate,-and a drum rotatably mounted thereon, said drum beingprovided atone endwith a wire-engaging'hookand prising a main plate having a longitudinal wire-receiving groove in one face, wire-connecting means at one end of the plate, and a lateral tailpiece carried by the opposite end of the plate to engage over the wire in said longitudinal groove.

8. A tool for the purpose set forth com prising a main plate having a central longitudinal groove, a tailpiece carried by one end of the plate and having a dished portion to engage over a wire held in said groove, wire-str'etcliilig and coiling means mounted upon the opposite end of the plate, and means at the latter end of the plate for supporting the end of the wire in said groove in engagement with a wire held in said stretching and coiling means.

9. A tool for the purpose set forth comprising a main plate, Wire-coiling and stretching means mounted on the plate, a

CHARLES H. MATTHElVS. [L. s.] J AY E. MATTHEWS. [L.S.]

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.. 

